How Firestone is run
Who runs Firestone, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Firestone's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Firestone
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- $1,500 a month on top of her Assistant Town Manager pay
- Mandatory PERA retirement contributions continue; no town contribution to her voluntary 457 plan
Firestone city staff
141 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026 budget. Town of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
The budget lists staffing (FTE) by department; we found no published pay list by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Firestone in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The 2026 budget expects general fund revenue to exceed spending and adds $1.4 million to fund balance, after a forecast $3.5 million drop in 2025. The town's five-year plan has general fund balance growing each year to $24.2 million in 2030, assuming tax revenue grows 7% a year. Town of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $8.6M (2024-12-31). Town of Firestone · May 27, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026.
Comes from
- Taxes (property, sales, use)$15.6M · 67%
- Licenses and permits$3.1M · 13%
- User charges and fees$1.5M · 6%
- Intergovernmental$1.5M · 6%
- Other revenue$1.3M · 6%
- Fines and forfeitures$288,988 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$7.6M · 33%
- Engineering and utilities$3.4M · 15%
- Water and community resources (parks)$3.1M · 14%
- Town manager$2.1M · 9%
- Finance$1.9M · 8%
- Planning and development$1.4M · 6%
- Information technology$1.2M · 5%
- Other (communications, HR, clerk, board, economic development)$2.2M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
These are the 2024 levies listed in the town's audited report for the main overlapping districts. Many neighborhoods also pay a metropolitan district levy, and parts of town are in another school or fire district; those are not included. The town's share is about 7% of this total.
7¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Firestone
- St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J57.168 · 55%
- Weld County15.956 · 15%
- Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District15.534 · 15%
- Town of Firestone6.805 · 7%
- Carbon Valley Recreation District4.427 · 4%
- High Plains Library District3.181 · 3%
- Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District1 · <1%
- St. Vrain Sanitation District0.373 · <1%
- Total (mills)104.444
2024 rates for a home in Firestone in the St. Vrain Valley school district and the Frederick-Firestone fire district (Weld County). Town of Firestone · May 27, 2025
See what a Firestone house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Firestone is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFirestone Police DepartmentTown of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- WaterThe cityTown water utilityTown of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityTown stormwater utilityTown of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- SewerSeparate districtSt. Vrain Sanitation DistrictTown of Firestone · May 27, 2025
- ElectricityPrivate companyXcel Energy or United PowerTown of Firestone · May 27, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtSt. Vrain Valley School District and Weld County School District RE-1Town of Firestone · May 27, 2025
- StreetsThe cityTown of FirestoneTown of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- Parks, trails and open spaceThe cityTown of FirestoneTown of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | MonumentCO | FirestoneCO | EvansCO | ErieCO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,813 | 20,129 | 22,500 | 40,904 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $195,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $230,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $1,065 | $1,143 | $989 | $1,847 |
| Debt per resident | $1,422 | $3,556 | $1,617 | $1,354 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $299 | $0 | $0 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 7.0 | 5.9 | 7.8 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Evans and Erie pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Firestone publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 Operating and Capital Improvement Budget, adopted Nov. 12, 2025, is posted as a full budget book. Town of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineBoard minutes list roll-call votes by member, e.g. on May 20, 2026. Town of Firestone · Jun 17, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online Town of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no town-published pay list by employee or position; the budget lists staffing (FTE) by department only. Town of Firestone · Nov 12, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- General fund balance rose $4.9 million in 2024, but the 2025 year-end forecast showed a $3.5 million drop. What caused the 2025 drop, and when will the audited 2025 report be posted?
- The five-year plan assumes tax revenue grows 7% a year and general fund balance reaches $24.2 million in 2030. What changes if growth is slower?
- Police is $7.6 million of the $23.0 million general fund budget for FY2026. How does the town plan to pay for police staffing as Firestone grows?
The fiscal year runs Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The proposed budget goes to the Board of Trustees by Oct. 15, and the board holds public hearings and adopts the budget by Dec. 15. For 2026, staff presented the budget from Sept. 17 to Oct. 22, 2025, and the board held the hearing and adopted it Nov. 12, 2025. See who is running for council
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